Hi All,

This is my second attempt at a journal. I started one a few months ago and had some unrealistic expectations about the frequency of my posts. I began tracking every session and quickly grew tired of it. At the same time, I had a lot going on in life so I decided to take a small break from playing and withdrew the majority of my roll.

Things have settled down a little over the last while so I wanted to get back playing. I had 33 dollars left in my account and have somehow miraculously managed to run it up to $1,200. Started playing 5nl and then moved up to 10nl and now to 25nl. I play tournaments with a friend of mine pretty infrequently, usually when there's a series on just for fun. I managed to satellite and cash a few and also won a 4.40 tournament for $600. I've also gotten a decent amount of rake back.

I've played poker recreationally over the last 10 years but have never really made it past 25nl. It's only in the last 6 months or so I've been really trying to take it seriously and actually apply some of the concepts I've been learning . I've been inspired by some of the journals on here, mainly Freenachos and Matostar. My ambition is to improve enough over the course of the next year to apply to a CFP and really begin to understand the game on a higher level. With that in mind, I have set myself some short-medium term and some longer term goals. I tend to try and set a mix of process and outcome goals.

Before I lay them out, I should probably say that my main leak at the moment is my mental game. Even if I produce a positive win rate over a decent sample over the next 6 months, I won't apply until I have resolved some of these issues. A lot are just down to lack of discipline but briefly they are as follows:

• Checking results mid session
• Not taking breaks when tilting
• Playing abnormally long sessions and refusing to accept a losing day
• Randomly logging on and playing at suboptimal times
• General tilt - I rarely get tilted when I lose a flip or get sucked out on in general. For me it tends to happen when I make a big error or I don't follow through on a bluff when I should have etc.

Short/Medium Term:
- Study 6 - 8 hours each week
- Pick a set hand volume or time limit for each session - Also take a break every 500 hands to assess how I am playing
- Have a 4 Buy In stop loss and stick to it
- Update blog once per week
- Warm up with GTO Wizard before each session
- Review 3 - 5 hands at the end of each session

Longer Term:
- Beat 25nl and 50nl over a reasonable sample
- Apply for a CFP
- Eventually, I would love to get to the point where I could work part time and earn an income from Poker

I'm not going to set any specific volume goals for hands. Generally, putting in volume has not been my problem. If anything, I play way too much, especially at times when I shouldn't.

I'm hoping this blog will help keep me accountable and I can have some success like the guys I mentioned previously!

GL at the tables.